Introduction

retornar means “to return”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to return” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows retornar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo retorno a casa por la mañana.” — “I return home.”

retornar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how retornar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.

In the present: everyday use

These sentences use {verb} in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “Yo retorno a casa cada día.” — “I return home.”
  2. “Tú retornas a casa cada día.” — “you return home.”
  3. “Él retorna a casa siempre.” — “He returns home.”
  4. “Nosotros retornamos a casa todos los días.” — “We return home.”

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show {verb} in the past, so you can talk about what already happened. 5. “Yo retorné a casa ayer.” — “I returned home.” (preterite) 6. “Él retornó a casa ayer.” — “He returned home.” (preterite) 7. “Yo retornaba a casa cuando era joven.” — “I used to return home.” (imperfect)

Plans and things already done

These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of {verb} stays the same. 8. “Nosotros retornaremos a casa mañana.” — “We will return home.” (future) 9. “Tú has retornado a casa hoy.” — “you have returned home.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo retorne a casa.” — “I hope that I return home.” (present-subjunctive)

More everyday uses

Two more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action. 11. “Vosotros retornáis a casa cada semana.” — “You return home.” 12. “Ellos retornan a casa normalmente.” — “They return home.”

retornar in context

Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how retornar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

Dialogue at work during a coffee break

Marta: “¿Tú retornas a casa?” — Do you return home?

Carlos: “Sí, yo retorno a casa cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I return home every day. It is part of my routine.

Marta: “¿Y ayer? ¿También retornas a casa?” — And yesterday? Did you return home too?

Carlos: “Sí, ayer yo retorné a casa. Mañana nosotros retornaremos a casa otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I returned home. Tomorrow we will return home again.

A short paragraph

Él retorna a casa cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how retornar works in real Spanish: who does it, when, and with what. Around it you can build a whole paragraph: what happened yesterday, what is happening now, and what will happen tomorrow, all with the same verb. When you write your own paragraph, start with the present — yo retorno a casa — then add one past sentence and one future sentence, and you have practised three tenses with one verb. That is the fastest way to make retornar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is retorné, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — retorne — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of retornar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For retornar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: retornamos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he retornado a casa. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy retornado is not the present perfect of retornar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing retornar with retirar

retornar and retirar look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of retornar — return — the sentence needs retornar; if it needs the meaning of retirar, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo retorne a casa. Using the indicative — Espero que yo retorno — is one of the most frequent learner errors with retornar. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of retornar in the present?

  • A. retornas
  • B. retorna
  • C. retornamos
  • D. retorno

2. What is the tu form of retornar in the preterite?

  • A. retornamos
  • B. retornaste
  • C. retorné
  • D. retornó

3. What is the el form of retornar in the imperfect?

  • A. retornabas
  • B. retornábamos
  • C. retornabais
  • D. retornaba

4. What is the nosotros form of retornar in the future?

  • A. retornará
  • B. retornaremos
  • C. retornaré
  • D. retornarás

5. What is the vosotros form of retornar in the present perfect?

  • A. he retornado
  • B. has retornado
  • C. ha retornado
  • D. habéis retornado

6. What is the ellos form of retornar in the present subjunctive?

  • A. retorne
  • B. retornen
  • C. retorne
  • D. retornes

7. What is the yo form of retornar in the preterite?

  • A. retornaste
  • B. retornó
  • C. retornamos
  • D. retorné

8. What is the tu form of retornar in the imperfect?

  • A. retornábamos
  • B. retornabas
  • C. retornaba
  • D. retornaba

9. What is the el form of retornar in the future?

  • A. retornaré
  • B. retornarás
  • C. retornaremos
  • D. retornará

10. What is the nosotros form of retornar in the conditional?

  • A. retornaría
  • B. retornaríamos
  • C. retornaría
  • D. retornarías

Answer key

  1. retorno — The present table gives yo = retorno.
  2. retornaste — The preterite table gives tu = retornaste.
  3. retornaba — The imperfect table gives el = retornaba.
  4. retornaremos — The future table gives nosotros = retornaremos.
  5. habéis retornado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis retornado.
  6. retornen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = retornen.
  7. retorné — The preterite table gives yo = retorné.
  8. retornabas — The imperfect table gives tu = retornabas.
  9. retornará — The future table gives el = retornará.
  10. retornaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = retornaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use retornar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo retorno a casa.” — “I return home.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

What is the most useful form of retornar to learn first?

Learn the present yo form retorno first, then the preterite yo form retorné and the participle retornado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund retornando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is retornar reflexive?

No — retornar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo retorno a casa. Do not add me or se to it unless the sentence genuinely needs a pronoun for another reason.

Where can I see the full conjugation of retornar?

On the main conjugation page for retornar, which has every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, plus notes, examples and a quiz. The present-tense page covers one tense in depth if that is what you need right now.

Related links